This patent application claims priority on a Japanese patent application No. 2002-284255 filed on Sep. 27, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron beam exposure apparatus, an electron beam exposure apparatus calibration method, and a semiconductor element manufacturing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an electron beam exposure apparatus for controlling deflection timing of an electron beam with high precision.
2. Description of Related Art
In an electron beam exposure apparatus for exposing a wafer by an electron beam, it is necessary to control deflection timing of the electron beam with high precision. For that purpose, it is necessary for the control section, which controls the deflecting section, to calibrate timing of control signal for controlling a deflecting section with high precision. When the control section calibrates the timing of the control signal and while the deflecting section is connected to the control section, it is difficult to detect the timing of the control signal correctly because a reflected signal reflected from the deflecting section is mixed with the control signal which is to be calibrated. Therefore conventionally, when the control section for controlling the electron beam deflecting section calibrates the timing of the control signal, the control section and the deflecting section are disconnected with each other to reduce the influence of the reflection or the like.
However, since impedance of the circuit driven by the control signal, when the deflecting section and the control section are disconnected, is different from impedance when it is connected with the deflecting section, rise time and fall time of the control signal is different from that of the actual exposure, and it has been impossible to calibrate the timing of the control signal with high precision, including rise time and fall time which affect the exposure processing.